Firm Must Face Suit For Including Atty Fees In Collection Bids

By George Woolston

A New Jersey appellate court on Tuesday revived four lawsuits alleging that a state firm violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, finding that the firm attempted to collect attorney fees and filing fees along with rent when it represented landlords looking to collect from nonpaying tenants. 

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States Win 2nd Bid To Block New FEMA Immigration Terms

By George Woolston

A Rhode Island federal judge has granted a bid from 20 states asking the court to again enforce an order that barred the Trump administration from conditioning the receipt of federal emergency funds on whether the states aid in the enforcement of federal immigration policies.

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Feature

One Shot, High Stakes: The Art Of The White Collar Allocution

By Chris Villani

White collar defendants typically have one chance to address judges. Experts say that effective allocutions can make a huge difference at sentencing, but proper preparation is key to make sure that clients avoid doing more harm than good.

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3rd Circ. Scraps Gun Sentence Over Broad Pa. Robbery Law

By Parker Quinlan

The Third Circuit has ruled that a Pennsylvania robbery law cannot be used to calculate sentence enhancements for crimes of violence because the state statute is broader than a comparable federal law.

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No 3rd Circ. Redo For Green Group Over Pa. Pipeline Permits

By Matthew Santoni

The Third Circuit won't grant an en banc rehearing to an environmental group's challenge to a pair of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. pipeline projects in Pennsylvania, after ruling in October that the state's permitting process wasn't deficient.

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Pharma Co. Invatech Can Stay In Chapter 11, For Now

By Clara Geoghegan

A New Jersey bankruptcy judge on Tuesday denied the Office of the U.S. Trustee's bid to convert Invatech's bankruptcy to a Chapter 7 as the former generic pharmaceutical group works to wrap up an administratively insolvent Chapter 11.

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49 AGs Give FCC Tips On Strengthening Robocall Database

By Nadia Dreid

The nation's attorneys general have some suggestions for the Federal Communications Commission on what it could do to curb the onslaught of illegal robocalls, billions of which hound Americans each month.

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Planning Personal Phone Collections Before Discovery Begins

For counsel planning a personal phone collection as part of the litigation discovery process, it's important to take early steps to ensure that necessary information will be obtained without exposing unrelated information or running into access issues, says Jeremy Horowitz at MARA Forensics.

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How A Child Of Immigrants Defends Abrego Garcia

By Corey Rothauser

Hecker Fink attorney Jeffrey Then grew up translating English-language letters for customers at his Dominican immigrant family’s Bronx business. Decades later, he drew on that experience while defending Kilmar Abrego Garcia from federal human smuggling charges, becoming a lifeline for Abrego Garcia during his detention.

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Q&A

John Morgan On Why Luck Matters More Than Most Admit

By Y. Peter Kang

John Morgan, founder of personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan PA, built the largest personal injury firm in the U.S., with 1,110 attorneys in 140 locations. In his new memoir, "Life Is Luck," the attorney who Forbes estimates has a net worth of $1.5 billion argues that success is about more than talent, intelligence or determination. It is also about recognizing opportunities, taking risks and capitalizing on fortunate breaks when they appear.

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Wachtell To Probe Nvidia CEO's Affair With Alleged China Spy

By Anna Scott Farrell and Sue Reisinger

Nvidia has hired Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz to lead an investigation into allegations that its founder and CEO had an affair with a business executive who U.S. intelligence believes is a Chinese spy, the artificial intelligence chipmaker said Tuesday.

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Grassley Defends Rush To Confirm Trump Judicial Picks

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday defended how quickly the committee is moving to confirm President Donald Trump's judicial picks before Democrats control the Senate.

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Trump Swaps Out Blocked 8th Circ. Nominee With Ark. Justice

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump on Tuesday withdrew his pick for the Eighth Circuit and replaced him with a different nominee amid apparent opposition from Arkansas' senators. 

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Girardi Estate's $54M Claim Put Behind Other Creditors

By Craig Clough

The trustees overseeing Tom Girardi's and his former law firm's bankruptcies struck a deal to put their claims against each other behind other approved general unsecured claims, according to a California bankruptcy court filing, with the firm's trustee saying neither estate is expected to collect on those claims.

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